


Descent into Darkness

by VeryDryWit



Series: Foggy Love [3]
Category: Yuri!!! on Ice (Anime)
Genre: Blood Drinking, Death, Depression, Earthquakes, Eating Disorders, Eventual Smut, M/M, Magic, Romance, San Francisco Bay Area, Some Humor, Soulmates, Suicidal Thoughts, Vampire Hunters, Vampires
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-13
Updated: 2020-11-13
Packaged: 2021-03-09 17:47:06
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 4
Words: 11,559
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27530230
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/VeryDryWit/pseuds/VeryDryWit
Summary: Yuri struggles to adapt to a vampire’s life.
Relationships: Katsuki Yuuri/Victor Nikiforov, Otabek Altin/Yuri Plisetsky
Series: Foggy Love [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1668202
Comments: 4
Kudos: 13





	1. The Undead Life

Yuri feels his consciousness return to his body, like from far away. The room is quiet and dark, and he feels cold. Then he remembers. The torpor is getting stronger, and his body has been in a near dead state while the sun was up. As his heart starts beating faster, the circulation starts again. It’s uncomfortable, like pins and needles all over his body. It’s not so much waking up, as recovering from hypothermia, or a coma. Being a vampire is uncomfortable, not glamorous like in the movies. Finally he’s able to move, and he sees Victor lying next to him. He’s pale and not apparently breathing, like a corpse. Older vampires have longer periods of torpor. Yuri kisses Victor’s cold lips, then gets up.

He gets dressed, and as usual goes to sit at the window on the third floor of the mansion, watching San Francisco and the Bay. Tendrils of fog are enveloping the Golden Gate Bridge. That’s the way Yuri’s been feeling lately, a cold dampness oozing in his heart. At first, the nights were pretty, and he enjoyed watching the glittering city. But now, he wishes he could watch a movie, or just waste a day surfing online. He misses sunlight, the warmth on his skin. Not that sunny days happened very often in the City. Rufus keeps giving him books of colorful photography to compensate, but Yuri doesn’t have the heart to tell him he can’t see colors anymore.

An old rotary phone starts ringing, and Yuri hurries downstairs to answer it.

“Hello?”

He tries to remain calm, so he doesn’t interfere with the signal.

“Yuri, you finally answered. You no longer have a cell phone?”

“Mom. I’m not making a lot of money… this is... cheaper.”

“Are you still working at that antique store?”

“Yeah… but only the night shift.”

“Oh dear. How will you repay your student loans with that?”

Student loans? That’s the least of his worries. He’s a newbie magical vampire, and he’s still figuring out his new life. He can’t tell his mother about that, he’ll be locked up for sure. He could live two hundred years... Will he use old age makeup to visit his mom? At what point will he fake his own death?

“Um... It’s okay, I have time to pay it off.”

“If you say so,” she replies, not sounding convinced. She no longer trusts him after years of him lying about his major. So he makes an effort and says,

“Mom... I need to tell you something. I’m gay...”

“You’re gray? I’m having trouble hearing you...”

“I’m living with a man!”

The phone sparks and goes dead. Oops. Did he break the phone? Yuri puts the receiver back in the cradle, feeling bad for his mom. He should write her a paper letter.

Feeling emotional, he heads to the kitchen. He opens the fridge and pokes at the pile of plastic packets with blood in them. Yuck. He closes the fridge, then opens the pantry. There’s a large bag of chocolate chip cookies which smell really good. He fishes one out, and chomps on it. The taste is totally different than he remembers. It’s like charcoal and bits of dirt. He spits it out into the sink.

How has Victor survived 70 years as a vampire? Victor acted so normally around him, Yuri could barely tell he was different. He closes his eyes, sensing Victor will be waking up soon. Yuri pushes away his sad thoughts. He wants to make Victor happy, and that requires not dwelling on the negative as he usually does.

Yuri goes out into the garden and cuts a rose. It looks gray, but smells wonderful, much more intensely sweet and fruity. He puts it in a vase. Then he looks through the vinyl records, and finds a cheery jazz record to play on the gramophone. Finally, he examines the blood packets in the fridge. Most of them are pig blood, but there’s some human blood also from a blood bank. He takes two human ones and pours it into goblets. He checks the table, but now his rose is drooping. He focuses energy on it to revive it. _Fwoop_! It bursts into flames. Freaked out, he runs to the kitchen, fills a pot with water, and throws it over the flaming flower. Then he hears,

“We’re having a damp dinner?”

Yuri looks over at the most beautiful man in the world. Flawless pale skin, long white hair and eyes full of humor. Yuri feels like a bumbling duck next to a beautiful swan. He explains,

“Uh... we’re celebrating. From now on, I’m drinking blood from packets.”

“Good! If you manage, you could visit your parents, or at least your sister.”

“Oh... I guess.”

Yuri gets some rags, and Victor helps him clean up the water. Then Victor smiles and picks up his goblet, toasting,

“To blood banks!”

“Yeah... to the refrigerated blood of strangers!”

Victor laughs and Yuri smiles, enjoying Victor’s happiness. Then he takes a small sip, and feels his throat gag. He forces a smile, and puts the goblet down. Victor drinks the whole thing, then declares,

“Human blood is _sooo_ delicious... Oh, I found a book on antique Japanese pottery for you, let me get it…”

Victor heads towards his study. Yuri takes the opportunity to run to the nearest bathroom, and throw up. He drinks a bit of water, and swishes out his mouth. Then he rushes back. Victor isn’t there, so he grabs his goblet, and tosses the blood in the toilet. Maybe if he doesn’t have it for a day or two, it’ll get easier to drink the stuff.

Victor comes back, and hands him a large book. Yuri frowns, recognizing the author. An annoying tenured professor from Yale whom Yuri dislikes.

“Oh... uh... thanks…”

Victor gives him an amused look, and responds,

“Open it.”

Yuri opens the book, and sees the interior has been cut up with two little holes that each have a metal ring. He blinks at it, as he registers what it means. He’s been begging for rings for a while, and was starting to think it wouldn’t happen... Yuri asks,

“Are they gold?”

“Rufus said they were. I’m declaring to you, and the world, that we are basically married.”

Victor takes one of them, and places it on his ring finger. Yuri picks up the other one, and does the same to Victor. Yuri feels giddy and emotional. He admires his hand, then notices it’s tingling. He asks suspiciously,

“What spell did you use?”

“Mmm, nothing important…” Victor says evasively. Yuri warns,

“ _Victor...”_

“A protection spell.”

That sounds fine, and Yuri gives in to the joy of the moment and grins, giving Victor a big hug. Then he admires his hand again.

“This is exciting! It feels like we’re married… I can’t wait to show Rufus!”

Victor kisses him, then strokes his neck. Yuri enjoys it for a moment, then reluctantly gives him a quick kiss and backs away. He adds,

“I’m not ready make love yet – I’d definitely bite you, which I need to stop doing. Give me some time?”

Victor smiles and replies,

“Of course. We have lots of time.”

Later that evening, Yuri walks to Yolanda’s _Magic Shoppe_. Victor has been giving him lessons on how to control his newfound power, and Yuri focuses on grounding himself. Once at the store, he peers inside. No one is there except Yolanda. Good. He walks inside, admiring the bits of crystals, tarot cards, and glass jars full of herbs. Then he sniffs the air, puzzled by the icky smell in the shop. Yolanda exclaims,

“Yuri! How’s my favorite customer?”

He jokes back,

“Uh oh, I must be spending too much money if you’re greeting me this way…”

She laughs and replies,

“That’s not the only reason. I’m fond of you. Let me show you some leather apparel that helps with shielding...”

There is a coat, a vest, and even a leather Fedora. Yuri examines the items suspiciously, then remarks,

“You and Victor are ganging up on me. These are exactly my size, and only Victor would think I’d look good in that hat.”

She nods and admits,

“It’s yours, Victor already paid. Though at your new level of power, it might not help much anyway.”

Yuri tries on the coat, and goes to look in the mirror. Yolanda puts the rest of the items in a bag. Then someone enters the shop. Startled, Yuri jumps a little, and the lights above them explode. The customer screams and runs out the door. Yuri hurries over to Yolanda. She is sitting on the floor huddling under an umbrella. Yuri asks,

“Are you hurt?”

“No. I was wondering why I kept carrying this umbrella around, there’s been no chance of rain. I can sense the future, but not the details.”

He looks around at the shop, absorbing the broken glass everywhere.

“Oh no! I ruined your shop! I’m so sorry… I…”

“Yuri, focus. You need to calm down.”

The shelves around him are shaking. His breath is coming in too fast, and he feels Yolanda take his hand. He takes a deep breath, and slowly things return to normal.

“I’m better now, thanks.”

She releases his hand, and tells him,

“I have insurance. I bought it last week.”

He picks up his bag of clothes, then remembers,

“I also ordered a rare book…”

“I’ll deliver it to your house when it arrives.”

He nods, feeling despondent. He shouldn’t go out anymore until he’s completely under control.

A few nights later, Yuri is feeling faint. His stomach is making growling noises, and he’s irritable. He puts a small amount of pig blood in his own goblet, and he forces down a tiny sip. He grabs a glass of water, and washes it down. He really wants to vomit, but Victor looks concerned, and Yuri pastes on a smile. Fortunately, the doorbell rings. Victor goes to answer, while Yuri rushes to the bathroom and throws up.

Yuri returns and sees Oscar and Rufus in the living room. Oscar begins,

“Good evening. Yuri, I should check on your health and transformation…”

Yuri responds,

“I’m okay. I don’t need a doctor. I… I forgot something upstairs.”

He goes up the steps quickly, then slows down once he’s out of sight. He’s feeling faint again. Then he hears Rufus beside him,

“I’ve been spending all my time at Oscar’s – I want to tell him how I feel – what do you think?”

“How you feel about what?” Yuri asks distractedly. Rufus chides him,

“How I feel about Oscar! I’m definitely in love. Lovey love love. I could take him to a crowded restaurant, and get down on one knee, and have red heart balloons fall from the ceiling… Should I give him a gold ring like yours?”

“Sounds scary. I’d never do it in public. What if he says _‘Oh gee, I like you too.’”_

Rufus wrinkles his nose and replies,

“You think Oscar only likes me?”

Yuri shrugs and replies,

“I don’t know. He’s hard to read. I had no idea he liked men.”

“Yeah, but you had no idea _you_ liked men.”

Yuri goes into his old bedroom which is now his study. Feeling faint again, he quickly sits down at the desk. Rufus follows and examines Yuri’s old laptop, which has scorch marks on it.

“Cupcake, looks like you took a blowtorch to it.”

“I zapped it. It kept turning off, and I got frustrated…”

Yuri’s head starts to spin, and he bends forward and moans. He feels a hand on his forehead, and Rufus asks,

“What’s wrong? You look pale. Not vampiry pale, sick pale.”

The motion puts Rufus his neck much too close to Yuri’s mouth. The smell of pulsing blood is overwhelming, and Yuri reaches over and bites. The relief of finally having some nourishment is immediate, and he sucks for a while with his eyes closed in bliss.

Yuri feels a paralyzing spell hit him, and collapses like a ragdoll. But he can still hear everyone around him. Victor asks,

“How is Rufus?”

Oscar replies,

“He’s pale, very low pulse. Yuri drank a lot of blood. Why?”

Victor replies,

“Maybe he’s not drinking enough of blood packets. He switched over this week.”

“What about Boris? Is he in danger?”

“No. When I first hired him, I did spells to protect him from vampire biting. He’s about as appetizing as a sofa. And Yolanda has been eating a terrible amount of garlic. She’ll have to change the name of her place to _Garlic Shoppe_.”

Oscar makes a pained noise.

“Victor, this is my fault. I know how dangerous a newly transformed vampire is… yet I haven’t insisted on any precautions. I’m a fool.”

“I’m the bigger fool. I thought with my experience, I could quickly train Yuri into managing his condition. I need to rethink my approach.”

There’s a silence, then Oscar says,

“I’m taking Rufus to my home. Needless to say, we won’t be visiting for a while.”

Yuri feels himself be carried, probably back down to the crypt. He feels a kiss on his forehead, then he’s left alone. Yuri does a release spell, something Victor had forced him to practice hundreds of times since being kidnapped. He slumps on the bed, depressed. It’s all too much. The loss of his old life, the darkness, and being stuck in the mansion. But most importantly he bit a human. It felt different from biting Victor during sex. Yuri never thought he’d be capable of something like that… Plus he bit a friend, and Rufus will never forgive him. And Victor will be crushed... Yuri just wants to be alone, where he won’t hurt the people he cares about.

He grabs his old sleeping bag, a backpack, and some packets of blood. Then he reluctantly removes the gold band he’s been wearing, and hides it under the mattress. Victor could use it to trace him. Yuri tiptoes out of the house. Once outside, he casts a hiding spell. It’s an easy spell to protect him from bad guys. It will also keep Victor from knowing exactly where he is. Yuri wanders the streets for a while, searching for a safe place. Nothing looks promising. The parks don’t provide much protection, and he needs to be away from the sun at dawn. He wanders aimlessly for hours. Then at the intersection of two streets, he notices a circle of bricks in the asphalt. It’s offset from the intersection, and doesn’t look decorative. He puts his hand on the bricks, and gets a vision of the workers installing a cistern under the street. He waits for a lull in the traffic, then goes to the manhole cover in the middle of the circle. It’s heavy, and a little awkward, but he manages to climb down the pole that’s inside, and push the manhole cover back in place. It’s dark underneath, but his eyes quickly adjust. The cistern is empty of water, and is just a round concrete room with a bit of junk left in one area. Yuri lies down in his sleeping bag, hugging himself. It’s a bit noisy when cars go by, but otherwise, it’s a perfect hideaway.

Sometime later, Yuri feels the familiar pins and needles as his body wakes up. Where is he? The sound of traffic and the hard ground beneath his sleeping bag clue him in. He immediately misses the mansion and Victor. There’s an achy feeling whenever they’re apart. It’s strange that in such short period of time, his life has completely changed, yet now much is the same. A year ago, he was a homeless university student. Now he’s graduated, and a homeless vampire. He takes out a blood packet and cuts the edge, and tries to suck a little bit of it. It’s still revolting, and he spits it back out. It reminds him of walking Mister Foufou and the chihuahua licking some vomit off the sidewalk. Yuri could barely eat for the rest of the day. How can a dog with a well developed sense of smell do that? How does Victor drink this revolting packaged blood?

Yuri climbs back up the ladder, pushes the manhole cover up a bit, and waits for a break in the traffic. He quickly steps out, then walks over to the sidewalk. No one notices him. At first, he walks around aimlessly, but things feel different. His nose picks up details about the people around him. He can tell if they’re healthy or sick, drunk or sober, well washed or sweaty. He finds himself following an attractive young man, with a visible tan line next to his T-shirt. It would be nice to take a little sip of him… After a few blocks, the guy gives him a scowl, and crosses the street. Oops. Even if Yuri’s stronger than a regular person, he doesn’t have the nerve to grab someone and bite them. Then he passes a bar, and a big hairy guy gives him a large smile. Yuri looks to his left and right, but no one else is beside him. The guy says loudly,

“Yeah, I’m smiling at you.”

Yuri approaches cautiously, and the man adds,

“Can I buy you a drink or do you want the money?”

Yuri looks at him in surprise, then sees his rumpled clothing and dirty face in the window reflection. No wonder the man is offering help. Yuri gets closer and sniffs the man. Physically he’s not Yuri’s type, but he smells healthy and could probably sustain the blood loss easily.

“I don’t need money. Would you like... sex?”

The man grins and replies,

“You offering your cute ass? We can go to the back of the bar…”

“Uh... how about the alleyway? It’s more private.”

Yuri walks towards the darkness, shaking with nervousness. Not wanting to be kissed, he puts his face against the wall, and lowers his pants. This isn’t going to work. He’s not going to be able to bite the man’s throat in this position. He hears a zipper go down, and some shuffling. Then the man whispers near his ear,

“You seem nervous… Is this your first time?”

Yuri instinctively chomps on the pulsing throat. Sometime later, he comes back to his senses, and sees the large man on the ground with his pants around his legs. Yuri puts his hand on the throat wound, and heals it. Then he tries to stand up, and falls back down, caught in his own pants. He gets dressed, then struggles to pull up the other man’s pants. Finally, the man is dressed again. But what now? He doesn’t want to abandon the man unconscious in an alleyway. This wasn’t covered in _Vampires for Dum-dums._ Yuri returns the bar and tells the bartender,

“Uh... This guy I picked up, he’s unconscious drunk. Can you call him a cab or something?”

The bartender looks annoyed, but nods.

The next day, Yuri perfects his technique. He gets cleaned up a bit, and runs a hand through his hair. Then he scopes out the guys at a bar. Should he choose a cute one, and one that smells good? Yuri stands there, uncertain, when a guy strides up to him and says,

“Are you deciding if you’re gay? I could straighten you out…”

Yuri hesitates, then replies,

“I’m gay, just not sure how to ask for a quickie in the bathroom.”

The guy smiles and replies,

“You just did. Right this way…”

Yuri enters a restroom stall, figuring it’s a safer place for his victim to recover. The stall is tiny, and stinks. Yuri rubs the guy’s crotch as a distraction as he goes for the neck. Afterwards, he sits the guy on the toilet, balancing the guy’s head against the wall. Then he leaves the restroom quickly. He’s almost out the door when someone says,

“Where do you think you’re going?”

Yuri looks around guiltily, and responds to a guy,

“Uh... somewhere else…”

“You’re cute, you should stay and talk to me.”

The man is blonde and tanned, very attractive, and smiles at him. Biting has stirred up his sexual need, and Yuri gets closer and asks,

“You think I’m cute?”

“Cute and very sexy. I’ll buy you a drink.”

Yuri isn’t used to this. He was never very popular before… It’s intoxicating, this feeling of power over others… and he feels like he’s cheating on Victor. He suddenly runs out the door, and yells back,

“Not tonight!”

Yuri runs for a few blocks, then stops for a moment, feeling high on adrenaline. Then he sees his reflection in the window of a convenience store. There’s blood spatter on his neck and shirt. Ew. And yet the guy at the bar was still interested? Oscar is wrong, there must be some magical vampire charisma.

After a while, Yuri learns which homeless shelters offer showers, where the gay bars are, how to bite someone without getting blood on his clothes. He’s nervous that his victims will report him, though so far no one has. All this while avoiding Victor. He can feel the other vampire, roaming the streets, looking for him. Yuri feels like an animal trying to survive – just hunting, drinking, and sleeping. During the thrill of the hunt, he can almost forget about Victor. But when he lays in his sleeping bag at the bottom of the cistern, he fantasizes about being back in Victor’s arms.

A few weeks later, Oscar walks into the living room of the mansion, and Victor runs toward him with a hopeful look. Oscar shakes his head, and Victor’s face falls. Then Oscar says,

“I have bad news.”

Victor closes his eyes, and runs his hand through his hair. He takes a deep breath, then asks,

“I can’t feel him... Is he dead?”

“I don’t think so. But there are reports of homeless people going missing. No bodies have been found, and people are saying the Zodiac Killer is at work again.”

“The Zodiac Killer? He was a serial killer in the 1960s. Unless he’s a vampire, it’s unlikely he’s still active.”

“However, the Zodiac Killer wore glasses and some say they’ve been attacked by a man with glasses…”

“You think Yuri is killing homeless people.”

“I hope not. You said he only took a few packets of blood. How else is he feeding?”

Victor waits outside a club at 2 AM, while a procession of sweaty drunk men leave the establishment. A tall guy with honey blonde hair exits the club, swings a leg in his direction, and tries to kick him in the balls. Victor blocks him easily and asks,

“Have you seen Yuri Katsuki lately?”

“Piggy? No. He’s not the clubbing type.”

“He’s missing.”

“He got kidnapped again?”

“No. He took his stuff and left.”

“Crap, don’t get me involved in your lover’s quarrel. Later.”

Yuri Plisetsky walks a few blocks to his tiny room. He kicks the door open and growls,

“You shouldn’t be sleeping while I’m dancing my ass off. Get a job!”

Altin yawns and replies,

“I’ve applied to several jobs. No one needs a retired vampire hunter.”

“Go see Nikiforov. He’s lost Piggy again and wants to find him. Maybe he’ll pay you for it.”

Altin starts spending his nights observing the streets. There’s someone hunting out there, he can feel it. The homeless people know it too, most of them hide quickly when he comes around. Yet one old man warns him,

“It’s dangerous out here. Several guys I’ve known have disappeared.”

“Has anyone disappeared during the day?”

“Nope. Only at night. I’ve been sleeping during the day, maybe that’s what keeps me alive. Can you spare any change?”

Altin gives him a dollar bill, then heads northwest towards Golden Gate Park.

A few days later, Plisetsky sees a young man leave the club and get accosted. The young man goes into an alley and Plisetsky surreptitiously follows. The young man is on the ground with someone sucking his neck. Plisetsky kicks the sucker in the solar plexus, and puts a stake on his heart. He waits for the next attack, his adrenaline surging. In response, the attacker puts up his hands and begs,

“I give myself up… kill me… _please…”_

Plisetsky grimaces, disappointed.

“Piggy? What’s wrong with you?! You have access to blood.”

The vampire curls up into a ball and cries. Plisetsky complains,

“Ah fuck! I can’t fight a wimp.”

Then he examines the victim, bleeding onto the pavement.

“I should get this guy to hospital.”

Piggy sniffs a bit, then reaches over and puts his palm on the wound. There’s a bit of a glow, and the skin knits together.

“Sorry. I usually do it right away, but you kicked me.”

Plisetsky demands,

“You’ve been doing this a lot?”

Piggy nods, and sniffs again, admitting,

“I can’t drink the blood packets. I keep trying, but it won’t go down.”

Plisetsky takes out a length of cord, and ties Piggy’s hands behind his back.

“You’re coming with me.”

Plisetsky leads him slowly down the street, as Piggy staggers back and forth. Plisetsky growls,

“Can’t you walk straight!?”

“I’m… I’m drunk. That cute boy had a lotta alcol... alcohol in his blood… I miss Victor… Victor is so beautiful, I love his long hair... his... his fine hands, his phallus of white porcelain…”

“Oh crap. Shut up!”

“Mmkay.”

Back at his tiny room, Altin is already there, removing his boots. Plisetsky quickly explains the situation, then says,

“Take him back to Nikiforov’s.”

Altin shakes his head and responds,

“It’s too close to dawn. It’ll have to wait till tomorrow night.”

Plisetsky rolls his eyes, and asks,

“Where do we put him? There’s barely enough room for us two.”

Piggy volunteers,

“I’ll stay under the bed.”

With his hands still tied, he scooches under the bed. Then he sneezes.

“ _Achoo!_ It’s dusty.”

Plisetsky grumbles,

“Yeah, Altin, you should clean more.”

Altin bolts the door, then lies on the bed with his clothes on. Plisetsky complains,

“I can’t sleep with a vamp under the bed!”

“What else are we going to do?” replies Altin. Plisetsky changes into a pajamas, then lies down as well. He tosses and turns, until Altin says irritably,

“Why can’t you just go to sleep?”

“I need sex!”

“Pretend I’m not here,” says a voice under the bed. “ _Achoo!_ ”

Plisetsky replies,

“I can’t fuck with him fucking under there.”

Altin pushes Plisetsky off the bed and orders,

“Go masturbate in the shower.”

Plisetsky disappears for a while, and comes back much more relaxed. Altin asks,

“Did the shower help?”

“Yeah. And Klaus enjoyed the show.”

Altin glares and asks,

“You did it in front of Klaus?”

“Next to him. He was in the shower next door.”

This time Altin kicks him out of bed, Plisetsky rolls onto the floor and hits the wall with a loud thud. He tries to get back into bed, but is attacked each time. Then he whines,

“Where am I supposed to sleep?”

“On the floor. With the vampire.”

Pissed off, Plisetsky grabs some towels, stuffs them under his head and passes out.

Plisetsky wakes up cuddling a body, and kisses the cheek close to him. A pair of hissing fangs show up in his face. He backs away quickly, realizing he’s snuggling with Piggy.

“Ew!! I thought you were Altin.”

Piggy growls,

“Don’t get close to me – I’m hungry.”

Plisetsky and Altin escort the dusty vampire to the Nikiforov mansion. Plisetsky rings the doorbell, and announces,

“Special delivery.”

Victor exclaims,

“Yuri!”

Altin stands between the two, with a stake on Piggy’s heart. Victor hisses, and a ball of red light hovers around Altin. Altin doesn’t move and declares,

“You can have Piggy on one condition.”

“Of course I’ll pay you, I already said I would,” Victor responds angrily. Altin insists,

“You have to chain him up. He’s been biting people.”

Victor clenches his jaw and replies,

“I promise I will.”

Altin lets Piggy go, while Victor drops his hand. Then Altin threatens,

“Next time, we’ll have to kill him.”

Altin walks away. After a few blocks, Plisetsky remarks,

“You sounded really cool.”

“I wasn’t trying to sound cool.”

Plisetsky grabs him and kisses him. Then he releases him and says,

“That’s why it sounded cool.”

Victor opens the door, and motions to go in. Yuri protests,

“Stay away from me. I killed Ah Toy, I almost killed Rufus, and I bit all these poor people... Give me back to the hunters!”

Victor’s eyes flash red, and he shows his fangs. Then he closes his eyes, trying to calm down, and responds,

“No. I’ll find a way to help you. If not, I’ll build you the most luxurious prison you’ve ever seen. You’re my responsibility, I’ll take care of you.”

Yuri insists,

“I can’t keep feeding off of you. I won’t.”

“You don’t need to. I’ve talked to Oscar, he’ll teach me to push a tube down your throat. That way you won’t taste the blood.”

Yuri curls up into a ball and sobs. Victor picks him up, and takes him down into the crypt. Then he feels metal shackles attached to his wrists. Victor explains,

“These will prevent you from using your powers.”

Yuri moves a bit, there’s just enough chain for him to sit or lie down. He’ll be imprisoned and force-fed... for how long? Hundreds of years? This is a terrible punishment...


	2. Darkness

Yuri wakes up, his stomach cramping in hunger. The force-feeding isn’t working, all he does is throw up. He doesn’t want to live anymore, trapped in this nightmare. The metal shackles keep him from using spells, but he can still physically hurt himself. He looks around the room, trying to find a way to kill himself. There aren’t any sharp objects nearby, and he can’t smother himself with that comforter. He curls up into a ball and cries.

There’s darkness, torpor, and more darkness. Every so once in a while, there’s a poke in his arm. There’s no sense of time, maybe it’s been days, weeks or months. There’s only pain, and unconsciousness. Then there’s a voice. A familiar voice, talking. It comes and goes. Then he wakes up to Victor saying,

“ _...and so the lion fell in love with the lamb…” he murmured. I looked away, hiding my eyes as I thrilled to the word.  
“What a stupid lamb,” I sighed.  
“What a sick, masochistic lion...” _

_  
_ Then later, he hears,

“ _If you didn’t smell so appallingly luscious, he might not have bothered. But when I defended you… well, that made it a lot worse. He’s not used to being thwarted, no matter how insignificant the object. He thinks of himself as a hunter and nothing else...”_

Yuri says weakly,

“What are you doing?”

“I’m reading the _Twilight_ novels by _Stephenie Meyer_. I already read _Interview with the Vampire_. Oscar doesn’t approve. He thinks I should read lighthearted novels, but you respond more to dark tales...”

“Oh. Okay.”

He drifts off, and feels a hand stroke his hair. Sometime later he wakes up, disoriented. He goes to stand up, then realizes he’s shackled to the wall. What’s going on? He feels stubble on his face, then sees a chamber pot close by...

“Victor? Victor! Help me!”

Victor slams open the door and says,

“Yuri? What’s wrong?”

“Why am I shackled to the wall?”

“You were feeding on people, probably draining them dry. People are missing, so we have to assume they’re dead.”

Yuri whispers,

“Oh no... are you sure?”

“If you don’t remember, that’s even worse. That means your animal instincts are taking over.”

Slowly, some memories return. Yuri recalls,

“I remember feeding… I liked biting happy people. Those spending all day in the sun without a care in the world...”

Yuri pauses, then asks in a tiny voice,

“Could you hug me?”

Victor crosses his arms and confesses,

“I want to hug you more than anything. But I can’t trust you right now. Let me give you some blood.”

Victor expertly ties off the circulation in Yuri’s arm, inserts a needle, and attaches it to a blood packet.

Yuri can feel tears well up in his eyes.

“You gave up on force-feeding me.”

“You got so weak, you became unconscious. This is better.”

Yuri feels his consciousness return, and with it, all sorts of painful emotions. Victor caresses his arm, as tears flow from his eyes, and Yuri begs,

“Let me die... _please_...”

Yuri opens his eyes and sees a familiar face. He asks,

“Rufus? What are you doing here?”

Rufus makes a movement towards him, then steps back. Then he says,

“I needed to see you, cupcake.”

“I’m so sorry, about what happened. I wasn’t trying to hurt you... all of a sudden I was hungry, you were food… Is your neck okay?”

Rufus replies,

“My neck? Oh yeah, Oscar healed me. It’s been a while since you bit my neck.”

“Has it? I’ve no sense of time.”

“Yuri, hang in there. For Victor.”

“He... he hates me.”

“He survived the vampire transformation to find you again. He loves you more than anything.”

“I… I’ll try. Hey, did you tell Oscar how you feel?”

Rufus grimaces, then admits,

“No.”

“Why not?”

“I went into hemorrhagic shock. My organs started to shut down, and I nearly died. Oscar has been so worried about me, he would’ve said anything to help me through this.”

Yuri hangs his head, feeling horrible.

“What the hell!” says Rufus, and wraps his arms around Yuri. Then he continues,

“You’re not to blame for this. Vampirism is like an addiction, it’s tough to deal with… and I love you no matter what. Not as much as Victor, of course. That poor idiot is hopeless… he’s reading every spellbook ever written to help you...”

Yuri hugs him back as much as the shackles will allow. Then he asks,

“Why is Victor afraid to hug me?”

“If you bite anyone else, Victor has promised to keep you locked up indefinitely. He’s terrified.”

“Oh.”

“Yuri, I forgive you. Remember that. So _please_ , work on controlling yourself. We need to hang out, and discuss your terrible taste in plates.”

Rufus steps back, and Yuri sniffles a bit, then responds,

“Well you… you like ugly furniture… Has Oscar even seen your apartment? If he’s still dating you after seeing that decor, he must really like you.”

Rufus retorts,

“My decor is flamboyant and fun, while Victor can’t decide between a dungeon and a French whorehouse! This mansion looks like a haunted French whorehouse…”

Yuri smiles a bit, then sighs.

“Thanks Rufus. You keep saving me, I really appreciate it.”

Rufus leaves. Victor comes in and sits down. Yuri takes a deep breath, then admits,

“Victor, I bit people...”

“I know, but you were unable to stomach the package blood...”

“Yeah... but that’s not it... I mostly bit cute gay men.”

Victor recoils in anger, and bears his fangs for a moment. Then he holds his hand over his face, and doesn’t move for a moment. Yuri continues,

“I… I didn’t want to hurt you, and I thought you must hate me now, so nothing seemed to matter…”

Victor looks close to tears.

“Victor? Are you angry with me?”

“I’ve missed you. This is my fault.”

“You need to train me. I… I want out.”

Victor immediately goes from sad, to looking more hopeful. He responds,

“All right. We’ll start right away.”

Victor begins by startling Yuri with a loud noise. The house shakes. They practice for a while, till Victor declares,

“Enough for tonight. We don’t want the mansion to collapse.”

Night after night they practice, with loud noises and sudden gestures. It takes a while, but finally Yuri improves at keeping calm. It’s a little bit like holding your breath in order to prevent hiccups. It’s not a reliable technique. Then Victor reads him an emotional story. The house shakes so much, pieces of plaster fall down from the ceiling. Yuri wails,

“I can’t do it!”

“Yuri, you’re not the only one who had trouble with your transformation. After Max died, and I couldn’t find him… I spent years not being myself. Oscar’s grandfather is the one who slowly pulled me out of it. I struggled a lot too, it’s just been so long I’d forgotten how bad it was… I also didn’t want to scare you, I desperately wanted you to like me… I’m sorry. If I’d stayed away from you…”

Yuri responds angrily,

“You shouldn’t have become a vampire in the first place, vampires are monsters! But it’s too late now.”

Yuri turns away, and Victor leaves the room.

The next night Victor starts with,

“I thought we could do a meditation…”

Yuri answers dispiritedly,

“There’s no need to train me. Even if I could go out, where would I go? I can’t go to a restaurant, or drink alcohol at a bar.”

Victor nods, and leaves him alone.

A week later, Victor announces,

“I have an idea of where you might like to go.”

Yuri shrugs and answers,

“Where?”

“To the park.”

“To Golden Gate Park at night? Why?”

Victor takes a deep breath, and mutters under his breath, doing a spell. Then he opens up the door to the crypt, and something comes running inside. Yuri stares at it, and realizes it’s a puppy. The creature sniffs Victor, then recoils and whimpers. Yuri says softly,

“Here puppy…”

The pale dog wags its tail, and comes closer. Yuri holds his breath, wondering if it’s going to be frightened of him too. But it comes over and licks his hand. He pets it for a moment, then picks it up.

“How come it isn’t frightened of me?”

“I’m not sure,” replies Victor, frowning at the animal. Yuri says despondently,

“I can’t keep it… I don’t want to bite it…”

“I gave it garlic wrapped in bacon. That will make it less appealing.”

Yuri hugs the puppy, and sighs. It feels so good to hug the ball of fur.

“His name is Garlic.”

Victor smiles, and they spend half the night training Yuri, and the other part training Garlic. Unfortunately, neither improves much with training.

As dawn approaches, Yuri yawns. Victor tucks him into bed, and Garlic jumps onto the bed and curls up next to him. Fortunately, the animal doesn’t care about living in a basement, or that Yuri is shackled to the wall. It simply responds to affection. Victor does another protection spell on the dog, then lies down next to them. He smiles, hoping things will improve.

A few nights later, Victor wakes up, and quickly heads upstairs to the kitchen. He takes a packet of blood, puts it in a saucepan, and heats it on the gas stove. He keeps testing it with his finger, then quickly removes it before it gets too hot. Then he whispers an incantation,

“ _Hush little baby, drink your food, hold your bottle, it tastes good.”_

Then he pours it into a baby bottle, attaches the nipple, then shakes it. Then he goes downstairs and caresses Yuri’s cheek. Yuri yawns, and sniffs the air. Then he asks,

“What is that?”

“Your packet of blood.”

“I can see that. Why is it in a baby bottle?”

“Just try it.”

Yuri sniffs it suspiciously, then sucks quickly on the nipple. He frowns, but sucks on it again. Victor watches him expectantly, then asks,

“So? I want your honest review.”

“It’s kind of like liver. It’s disgusting, but I can eat it.”

Victor stares at him, making sure he consumes the whole thing. Yuri sucks on it reluctantly, then overcome by hunger he drinks it really fast, and bites through the rubber nipple. It makes a mess all over his face and his shirt. Victor remarks,

“I need to buy you a bib.”

Garlic runs over and licks the drops on the floor. Yuri looks at the empty bottle, and feels tears come down his face.

“I finally managed? Does that mean I’ll be set free?”

“Not yet. You need to drink packets for at least a few months, and prove you can resist feeding off of humans. It could take a year or more… but it will happen.”

Yuri nods, and gives a little smile. Hanging on to that small hope will get him through this. Victor smiles and asks,

“May I hold you?”

“Are you sure?”

“Rufus has gifted us a whole box of sex bondage toys. There’s a ball gag, a leather face cover, some kind of metal thing… so you don’t bite me.”

Yuri feels his face burn, and he whispers,

“Maybe some other time.”

Victor looks disappointed and says,

“Oh. All right.”

Victor was looking very cheery, but now seems depressed. He spends the rest of the night listlessly reclined on a couch. Eventually, Yuri confesses,

“I want to hug you. But I like candlelight, and music... and romantic sex. I’m already in shackles, and that stuff makes me feel like a prisoner in a sex dungeon.”

Victor immediately perks up, takes his hand, and lightly kisses his knuckles.

“I forgot what how sweet you are… I can do a light freezing spell around your jaw, you could still feel my kisses…”

Yuri nods. Victor reaches over and as Yuri’s jaw becomes numb, Victor kisses him. It feels so good, he finds his arms around Victor’s neck, and lets himself melt into Victor’s body. Yuri whispers,

“I’ve missed you so much…”

“Oh my love, it was worth it to wait all those decades for you…”

The house trembles with vibrations, almost like it’s purring.

A few days later, Oscar and Rufus arrive to see Victor. Oscar begins,

“Homeless people are still disappearing.”

Victor stands up, and exclaims,

“It’s not Yuri! I’d know if he’d gotten out…”

Rufus explains,

“I know. I plotted the area of those who have disappeared and the dates.”

Rufus pulls out a paper map of San Francisco.

“It’s not just in the City. People have disappeared in the Marin headlands, north across the Golden Gate Bridge. It’s a wild park, but during World War II, they built an underground munitions bunker, and later a nuclear fallout shelter. There are lots of tunnels that are supposed to be sealed off, but people are finding ways in.”

Oscar comments,

“I haven’t heard of anything of this.”

Rufus agrees,

“Urban explorers are extremely secretive about where they go. They don’t want lots of people discovering the tunnels, and it’s illegal to be trespassing. But this guy I know is really worried. His pals have disappeared in the tunnels, and never came back.”

Victor adds,

“Yuri wouldn’t cross the bridge. It reminds him of suicides. If another vampire is involved, then staying away from the city also makes sense. The Grandmother of the City, Alma has become more wary of other vampires since the funeral of John Burnell. Why hasn’t she done anything?”

Oscar admits,

“She’s been unwell.”

“Sounds like we need a vampire hunter,” remarks Rufus.

Yuri wakes up with a stake against his chest and someone saying,

“You’re about to die. Any last words?”

He recognizes Plisetsky and asks,

“Where is Victor?”

“Victor is dead. I killed him.”

“No. No. _Nooooooooo!_ ”

Yuri collapses into a heap, sobbing. The house sways back and forth, like it’s made of paper. It feels like the entire structure will collapse, until Yuri grabs Garlic and hugs him tight. The movement goes downward, and there’s a weird rumbling sound into the earth. Yuri wails,

“Where... Where’s his body? Can I say goodbye?”

“He’s already been buried.”

Yuri looks around, trying to get his head around it. Plisetsky gets close, and Yuri backs away.

“Can’t you kill me from a distance? I might bite you.”

Plisetsky takes a key and undoes the manacles. Yuri massages his wrists chafed and calloused from the metal. Plisetsky stares at him, and Yuri whispers,

“What’s happening?”

“There’s an out-of-control vampire. We need your help.”

“My help? I barely have control of my powers…”

Plisetsky undoes the other manacle, and Yuri sits there, tears rolling down his face. Plisetsky orders,

“Come upstairs.”

Yuri looks at the door, then shakes his head.

“I don’t think… I can’t leave.”

Plisetsky grabs his arm, and drags him upstairs, the puppy following. Yuri looks around sadly, the familiar living room with the giant fireplace and a few candles. In the corner, he sees a familiar blond head.

“ _Victor!_ ”

Yuri runs across the room and hugs him. The solid feeling of his body, the familiar warmth, the smell all come rushing back.

“Yuri... my love....”

“Cool it!” yells Plisetsky. Yuri turns around, remembering the hunter is there. Then he sees Rufus, Oscar, and the other vampire hunter, Altin. Yuri yells,

“Why did you say Victor’s dead?!”

The house shakes. Plisetsky spins a stake in his hand and explains,

“To see if you’d attack me. Or destroy the house.”

Yuri hears sirens in the distance, and he looks out the window. The city of San Francisco is pitch black, there are no electrical lights. In one area, there appears to be a fire burning. Rufus looks out next to him, and explains,

“There was a huge earthquake, it knocked out the power grid. It’s difficult to get information, but Victor thinks Alma was attacked last night.”

Victor protests,

“Yuri’s not ready to go into battle – it’s a miracle the mansion is still standing.”

Plisetsky points outside and replies,

“The City already looks like a war zone. We can risk Piggy wrecking stuff.”


	3. The Battle

Yuri leaves Garlic with Boris. Then the six of them walk to Washington Street, to the white pillared mansion belonging to Alma Spreckels. The house is collapsed on one side, as if crushed by a giant foot. Yuri remembers the fancy party for the funeral that they attended. But now there are giant colorful lights all around the mansion, energy whizzing in all directions. Yuri asks,

“What is all that?”

Victor answers,

“Alma must be badly hurt. She’s losing control of her wards and her magic.”

Victor goes into the broken part of the house, and Yuri follows him. They find the tall old woman pinned underneath a heavy beam. Victor asks,

“Alma? Can you hear me?”

The woman opens her eyes and says,

“Mel... Melchora...”

Victor holds her hand, while Oscar comes forward and places his hands over her. Then he declares,

“She’s dying. I can only relieve her pain.”

Victor nods, as Alma groans,

“Kill me...”

“No. We need to go after Melchora.”

Victor turns away, and suddenly Yuri cries out in pain. He closes his eyes, and whimpers, as he begins to lose consciousness. Nearby, there’s a howling noise, and he opens his eyes. In a rage, Victor attacks, Alma and everything turns bright red. When it stops, Victor is sucking at Alma’s throat, and she looks dead. Eventually Victor stops, his lips moist with blood. Yuri has never seen Victor feed on a human. Rufus demands,

“What just happened?!”

Victor replies,

“Alma attacked Yuri, and I attacked her. She wanted me to in end life.”

Yuri stares horrified, his mouth wide open. Victor notes his reaction, yet coldly orders,

“Drink.”

“Uh... I don’t think so...”

“We need all our strength for what’s coming.”

Yuri feels like running away. This is more revolting and terrible than anything he’s done before. Yet he kneels and sucks. Although he hates to drink in front of the others, the blood is more delicious than any other he’s had, and his body shudders in pleasure. Eventually, Rufus grabs him and pulls him away.

Then Victor announces icily to the rest of the group,

“Melchora De los Reyes is near 285 years old. She blew through Alma’s defenses like they were a sandcastle. You will leave her to me.”

Yuri gulps, while Plisetsky replies,

“No way. I plan to get some stakes in...”

Oscar interrupts,

“How do we get to Marin?”

“We take a bus,” answers Plisetsky. Yuri shakes his head and explains,

“I might fry the electrical system of a vehicle.”

Sometime later, they stop at a store called _Blazing Saddles._ Plisetsky grumbles,

“No. Fuck no.”

The others ignore him, and soon they are each riding a rental bike. They head towards the Golden Gate Bridge, pedaling through the fog. On the bridge, they are battered by the cold dark wind off the ocean. Yuri shivers from fear and cold.

Eventually they reach the other side of the bridge. The Marin headlands are a hilly natural area, with patchy yellow grass and a few other plants. They huddle together, and Victor goes over the battle plan.

“We will enter from different tunnels, trapping Melchora inside.”

Plisetsky stretches his body, and does some practice throws with his stake, saying,

“Finally, some real vampire hunting.”

Oscar gives Yuri a healing crystal, then gives Rufus three of them.

“Stay safe,” he orders. They all take a deep breath, then Yuri puts his hand out and says loudly,

“ _It’s raining, it’s pouring, all of you are snoring…_ ”

The others collapse to the ground, sound asleep. Yuri quickly arranges their bodies, then he kisses Victor’s forehead. Finally he heads down into the tunnel.

Yuri can sense a strong presence deep underground. It takes a while to find it, picking his way through the labyrinth of tunnels, stepping through debris and various trash left behind. There’s graffiti on the wall, peace signs and gang markings, as well as people’s names. Eventually he finds a room with a few couches, a table and chair, and a bed. Yuri puts his hands up ready to attack, and sees a woman brushing long white hair, in front of a mirror. Her skin is creased and spotted with age, her back bent over. She turns towards him, and smiles with stained yellow teeth. She says in Spanish,

“ _Buenas noches, mucho gusto en conocerlos_.”

It takes Yuri’s brain a moment, and he replies,

“I’m glad to meet you too. Do you speak English?”

“Aye, I do. _Je parle_ _français_ _aussi._ ”

She laughs gaily. Then she continues to brush her hair.

“What’s your name?”

“Melchora. Melchora de los Reyes Acosta.”

“From Mexico?”

“From Jalpan, in New Spain.”

New Spain? Mexico was called that before the independence in 1810. Curious, Yuri asks,

“Are you here because of Ambrose?”

“Ambrose? No. I’m here to call on Father Serra. He thinks magic users are devil worshipers, but we are not. I have helped heal many people… Plus there’s a handsome man next door.”

“Do you mean Junipero Serra? The founder of the missions?”

“Father Serra is building a church in Jalpan, I don’t know of any missions.”

“What _year_ is it?”

“It is the year of our Lord 1750.”

Yuri isn’t sure what to do. He was expecting a battle to the death. Not some old woman, caught in the past. He opens his hand, and hands her a healing crystal. She explains,

“How beautiful! Is it for me?”

She holds on to the crystal, and sighs in pleasure. Then she turns and says,

“I thank thee, my joints feel better.”

Melchora takes his hand and says,

“In return, I can help you. Your spirit is not anchored well in your body.”

Yuri gapes, as strange energy crawls all over his body. For a moment, he can see the whole maze of tunnels, like a map. Then he feels a heaviness, and a sense of calm.

Melchora grabs the brush with gnarled hands, and looks again into the mirror.

“Aaaaaaaaaaaaaah! What’s happened to me?! I’ve been bewitched! Cayetana, you horrible woman!”

Yuri asks gently,

“Melchora, do you know where you are?”

“No… I want to go home, _a mi casa_...”

The old woman rocks herself back and forth several times, humming. Yuri nods, then calls out,

“Hi Victor, I’d like you to meet a friend of mine. Melchora.”

Melchora protests,

“Friend? I’m your wife!”

Yuri reassures her,

“Of course. I’d only want to marry my best friend.”

Victor walks forward, examining Yuri carefully, and says,

“A pleasure to meet such a beautiful woman. You’re not feeling well?”

Melchora complains,

“My joints hurt something awful. Ambrose brings me special vials of blood, makes me feel better.”

She reaches into a bag, takes out a bottle and takes a few drops. She slowly looks younger, her back becomes less hunched, and her face less wrinkled, like a woman in her sixties instead of her nineties. Then she takes the last drops. Her skin becomes smooth and translucent, and her hair long and black. She looks young and very pretty, with dusky skin and dark eyes. Then she blinks and says to Yuri,

“Ambrose? You came to visit me… You must help me, I’ve been feeling unwell…”

Yuri responds,

“How do I help you?”

“A potion made of blood from dead vampires would rejuvenate me, but that is unthinkable. _Por favor_ , I need more goat blood. I keep a large herd, make sure not to bleed the same animals twice.”

Yuri looks around the room for blood packets, he’d like to help her. Then he whispers into Victor’s ear,

“She’s got Alzheimer’s.”

“That’s possible. But she’s still a killer.”

“Are you sure? I don’t think she is…”

Victor inquires,

“Melchora, what happened to Alma?”

“Who is Alma?” she asks. Victor tries again,

“Mrs. Spreckels?”

She stands up and explains expressively,

“Oh yes! I went to see her to ask about my beloved Ambrose, he never came back to see me. She went crazy, she attacked me with all her power – and I defended myself. I didn't mean to hurt anyone, why did that lady attack?”

Victor explains,

“Ambrose was killing vampires for your potion.”

The young woman becomes very agitated, and starts to cry, while wailing,

“No! He was kind and honorable... _mi amor_...”

Plisetsky walks into the room and says,

“You guys have got to see this.”

Victor and Yuri follow him down some corridors, into an area walled off with bars. About 30 people are in the makeshift prison, with straw beds, blankets, and a smelly collection of buckets. Many of the people are older, and wearing makeshift clothing. Yuri says,

“These must be the missing homeless people…”

A few of them have headlamps, and must be the explorers. But the people don’t react to their presence. Yuri asks,

“What’s wrong with them?”

Plisetsky responds by pulling out a cookie, and putting it through the bars. The closest people shuffle over on all fours, bleating,

“ _Neeeee! Neeeee!_ ”

Victor remarks,

“They sound like goats.”

Yuri exclaims,

“That’s it! Melchora said she has a herd of goats… She didn’t kill her victims, she imprisoned them.”

Oscar sets to work on getting rid of the goat spell, and the six of them carry the people outside. Then they spend the next few hours transporting the goat people to hospital. Due to all the earthquakes, no one at the hospital questions the sudden influx of patients.

Late that night, Yuri feeds Melchora some blood packets, which she drinks reluctantly. Plisetsky watches and says,

“Can I stake her now?”

Yuri protests,

“No! Alma had gotten paranoid, and destroyed most of the city! Melchora is a healer, and should be looked after… I... I could do it.”

Plisetsky growls,

“You’re almost as dangerous as she is. Why did you put us to sleep?”

“I didn’t want any of you to get hurt.”

Rufus adds,

“Are you sure, cupcake? You’re finally getting better… Maybe I can take her back to Mexico…”

Yuri squeezes Rufus’s hand, then replies,

“No way. Oscar can’t handle any more of you being in danger. Even I can tell he’s fond of you.”

Rufus shrugs, and replies,

“Of course he’s fond of me…”

Oscar interrupts,

“Rufus, I’m in love with you. I’d like you to move in with me.”

Yuri waits for Rufus to scream in happiness, and launch himself at Oscar. Instead he’s standing there, frozen. Oscar, who is usually always calm, suddenly adds nervously,

“I mean... you could redecorate… but I’d like to stay near my clinic…”

Yuri tells Oscar,

“I’m not sure what’s wrong, Rufus totally loves you!”

Then Rufus answers quietly,

“Oh Oscar… My silly crush has turned into so much more, and this feels like a dream come true… Tell me this is really happening, I’m not going to wake up…”

Oscar walks over, and holds him. Then he says,

“Let’s go home.”

Victor looks at the hunters on one side and Yuri on the other and says,

“Yuri, I understand you don’t want to hurt Melchora. But she’s ridiculously powerful. We can’t risk bringing her to San Francisco. Look at all the damage she caused.”

Yuri looks around the dark bunker and offers,

“What if we stay here?”

“You want to move into this ugly concrete cave?”

“We could wall off certain areas, and put more protective spells. Boris can take care of the house in the City. And this would be a good place for me to practice controlling my magic.”

Victor frowns in distaste, but acknowledges,

“It could be furnished to be more comfortable.”

Altin grabs Plisetsky’s arm and motions to get going. Plisetsky whines,

“You’re going along with this? This was supposed to be an epic battle with the most powerful vampire of the Americas… Hunters would be re-telling the tale for generations…”

Alton replies,

“If you attack her, she’ll squish you like a bug. Let’s go home.”

Plisetsky grumbles,

“Only if you start cleaning more. When I work all night, I don’t want to come home, make dinner, _and_ do laundry…”

Altin nods and responds,

“Yes, dear.”

“Ugh, you’re so fucking annoying!”


	4. Epilogue

A week later, the underground bunker feels more like home. Rufus has delivered some furniture, as well as some items from the mansion. There’s even a tiny old radio, which Yuri can listen to when stays very calm. Yuri feeds Melchora some blood, and puts her to bed. Her torpor lasts almost 16 hours a day. She looks like an old lady again, but she always smiles and agrees to whatever Yuri says. Garlic hops into bed with her, and she strokes the puppy with a smile. Yuri sighs. He’s disappointed the dog prefers Melchora, and he’s worried she might bite Garlic. But the dog dotes on her, and spends most of his time in her lap. Melchora says,

“ _Gracias,_ Ambrose. Did I tell you the time I met Emperor Maximilian of Mexico? You were so upset I had healed members of the royal family, especially since you joined the cause of Pancho Villa...”

“Ambrose would’ve been in his seventies by then. Why did he become a vampire?”

Melchora doesn’t seem to find it strange that the person she calls Ambrose would talk about him that way. She replies,

“His wife cheated on him, then died. His first son committed suicide after being in a duel over a woman. His second son drank too much, and his lungs putrefied and he died. Ambrose was a magnificent thinker, but his heart was badly wounded.”

“Did you heal his heart?”

“No. But I healed his his breath... he suffered from inhaled miasma.”

Yuri nods, and tells her,

“You did what you could. Night night.”

Melchora closes her eyes, and becomes as still as a statue.

Yuri joins Victor who has put on pajamas in preparation for daybreak. It feels strange to be together in a more normal way, without shackles. Victor rearranges the furniture, then puts up a decorative painting. Yuri looks at his small backpack, wondering if he should buy some clothes. He could ask Rufus to shop for him, but who knows what kind of crazy clothing his friend would buy… Yuri notices a small wooden box on Victor’s dresser and opens it. It’s a jewelry box, with a few rings, Rosa’s locket, and some cufflinks. Yuri picks up one cufflink. It looks like mother-of-pearl and some metal. Then he shivers. He can see into the past... Max is giving the cufflinks to Victor, then they kiss. Yuri feels a wave of anger and jealousy. Even after all that’s happened, it still doesn’t feel like Max was him. Yuri should just put the piece away and forget about it. Instead, he picks up the second cufflink. Then he gasps.

_Max is laying on a bed, he is emaciated and there’s a sickly purplish look to his skin. Victor is nearby, also skinny and pale. Max coughs, trying to catch his breath, grimacing in pain. Victor gives him a tiny nip, and Max’s face becomes more peaceful. Then Max whispers,_

“ _Bye... my love...”_

_Victor shakes his head and pleads,_

“ _No, please, not yet...”_

_There’s a wheezing sound for a while, then it becomes imperceptible. Victor holds Max’s hand, crying. Then he kisses Max’s wrist and bites._

Yuri finds himself back in the room, face wet with tears. He wheezes for moment. Victor is staring at him, with a blank look on his face. Yuri asks,

“Did you kill Max?”

Victor drags his hand through his hair, and replies emotionally,

“I hastened his death by a few minutes. Still… I regret it. I was so hungry, I’d been unable to stomach any of the blood I got from the butcher… It was the first time I’d bitten someone and drank from them, and it tasted bad. Maybe from the sickness, maybe from the guilt.”

Yuri feels the pressure on his chest, like the air won’t come in. Victor comes closer and asks,

“Are you all right?”

“Hurts... to breathe.”

“Rosa used to have asthma attacks, you have allergies. It’s almost like the mustard gas affects are are lingering.”

Yuri puts his hand on his chest, and directs some healing energy there. His breathing eases. Victor observes him for a moment, then asks,

“Do you still want to live with me? Even though I’m a monster?”

Yuri stares at the floor, then admits,

“I’m a monster too. I’m getting used to it. Maybe there’s a bit of a monster inside most humans.”

“Then maybe you’ll be willing to wear this again…”

Victor presents the ring Yuri left behind. Yuri feels tears in his eyes, and nods.

It’s good to feel that piece of metal on his finger again. Yuri has been so consumed by his pain, he never realized how much pain Victor has been in. Yuri looks up and admires his love. Definitely the most handsome man ever. Yuri gets closer, and says innocently,

“You have a smudge on your lips.”

“I do?”

Victor rubs his lip, and Yuri runs his tongue on it. Victor’s eyes flashes red, and he says,

“You’re giving me erotic thoughts…”

“Good. What happens if I do this…?”

Yuri nibbles on Victor’s ear, then licks a finger and runs it down his own throat, tilting his head to allow access. Victor inhales his scent and protests,

“Mmm, we can’t.”

“I’m not allowed to bite, but you can...”

Victor kisses him, but Yuri can feel the restraint, the pent-up energy. Yuri whispers,

“Make love to me.”

“I was planning to do more training before we got to that.”

“We’re in a nuclear fallout shelter, miles from any homes. Good place to risk it.”

Yuri murmurs a spell onto his fingers, and caresses Victor’s face. Large tears start pouring out of Victor’s eyes. Victor says,

“It felt like tingling warm love… I didn’t teach you that.”

“I’m not sure how I learned it. But there aren’t enough words to express how I feel about you.”

Yuri takes his time, undressing Victor slowly. With his magical sight, he can see colorful lights emanating from areas of the body. He experiments touching them. Some places make Victor moan, others make him tense.

Another spot causes a groan.

Yuri follows the colors... licking and kissing, grazing his teeth over Victor’s pale skin while forcing himself not to bite.

When they’re both naked, he does the spell again all over Victor’s torso, who swoons in pleasure. Yet he can feel more clearly than ever how much Victor is holding back.

“Victor, let me take you.”

“You’re ready for that?”

“Yes, my love.”

Yuri kisses him, then Victor presents his perfect behind and Yuri does a quick protection spell, which works as lubrication. Then he gently pushes in, Victor moans and puts his hands on the floor. They buck together, and the ground begins to hum. Wanting to break though Victor’s defenses, Yuri sends a wave of energy around Victor’s erection, adding to the sexual tension. It feels so good, Yuri feels himself growl, and he bites his own lip to restrain himself. Then Victor twists back and Yuri feels a bite on his neck, and colored lights explode all around. Yuri gasps in pleasure, and tries to send all the energy into the ground.

“Aaah...”

They collapse on the floor, and Yuri feels Victor’s nails rake his back. The energy emanating between them is intense, pain and bliss mixing together. There is a slight tremor, but not much in terms of shaking. Yuri sighs in relief. They lie side by side for a while, then Victor exclaims,

“That was amazing… You’ve suddenly improved with your sex magic.”

“Ah Toy may have integrated all my personalities, but Melchora healed me. And I've been noticing that with my magic, I can see colors…”

“Me too. Our eyes no longer perceive colors, but the memory is still encoded in our brains. I sometimes dream in color…” Then Victor strokes Yuri’s neck, and gently caresses his back, then hisses, “I bit you too hard, and hurt your back…”

Yuri holds Victor’s face in his hands and insists,

“I pushed to make you lose control. I don’t mind the pain... My tastes are becoming more... rough. I used to fantasize that you... you’d bite me.”

“I did bite you,” replies Victor, not understanding.

“Not my neck,” admits Yuri, feeling his face burn. Victor caresses his cheek and says,

“Thank you. Thank you for staying with me in the darkness.”

“At first, our love was enough… I didn’t know feeding would be so difficult. But now… maybe I can learn to do something useful with my magic.”

“Good. My dear love, I so want you to be happy.”

A few weeks later, Yuri wakes up late, and stays in bed until Victor wakes up as well. Victor kisses him, and says,

“Recline and don’t move, you’re my pillow princess tonight.”

Yuri crosses his arms in embarrassment and grumbles,

“You’ve been talking to Rufus.”

Victor gives him a knowing smile, while Yuri lays down, and enjoys Victor’s mouth on his neck, on his nipples, and running kisses down his thighs… It’s definitely more difficult to control the energy this way. Victor massages his feet and even sucks on his toes. Then he goes back up the body, barely grazing Yuri's penis, and caressing Yuri's stomach again. Then Victor rolls him onto his stomach, and does the whole body again. Then he does some amazing things with his tongue on his rear end… Yuri moves which rubs his erection into the sheets. He moans. The foreplay is lasting so long that Yuri begs,

“Take me, _please_...”

Victor strokes the inside of Yuri’s thigh as he explains,

“Rufus is concerned about your ability to control yourself. I told him I’d test you…”

Yuri rolls onto his back, then there’s a mouth on his erection, and some tingling in his behind. Yuri moans, and again sends the energy downwards... The sucking on his erection becomes more intense, and just as Yuri is close, Victor bites the interior of Yuri’s thigh. The combination makes Yuri’s whole body spasm – he bites his own hand as the ground shakes. The small radio suddenly turns on, and the staticky voice of a newscasters says,

“ _We are experiencing more aftershocks, please take cover…”_

“Oops,” responds Yuri. Victor gives him a kiss, then says,

“How was that?”

“How did you guess...”

“...where you wanted to be bitten? Vampires love major arteries.”

Yuri gives Victor a kiss, then says ruefully,

“I can’t control myself when you do that.”

“I take full responsibility. You shouldn’t be able to control yourself when your lover is this good.”

Yuri laughs and gives Victor a kiss. Then he looks around the bunker and says,

“Rufus says the City is rebuilding, I wish I could help…”

Victor hugs him tight, and responds,

“With Alma dead, I’m Head Vampire of the City. Maybe we can make the streets safer for everyone.”

“We could hire the vampire hunters as our own vigilantes.”

Victor frowns, then responds,

“You’re strangely fond of those hunters.”

“They saved my life.”

“They’ve also threatened your life many times.” Victor puts on a robe, then adds, “Stay here, I arranged a surprise.”

Victor sits Yuri down facing a wall, and arranges a series of mirrors. Then he says,

“Action!”

There’s a sound of an old-fashioned projector, and a blurry image on the left wall. Victor quickly adjusts the mirrors, until he’s able to get the image on the wall in front of them. Yuri exclaims,

“It’s a movie!”

“ _Vertigo_ , by Alfred Hitchcock. It was filmed in San Francisco. Rufus helped set up, but we need to stay calm not to affect the projector.”

Yuri sits down, and observes the image. Victor joins him. Then Yuri leans into Victor and smiles.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This concludes my vampire series for now. Thank you for reading, please feel free to give me any feedback or impressions in the comments.
> 
> San Francisco has a very interesting underground history. After the 1906 earthquake, cisterns were built everywhere, because fires were more destructive than the earthquake itself. The Marin headlands do have a network of tunnels from World War II and the Cold War. Melchora was an actual person accused of witchcraft, I found her as a footnote in a book about Junipero Serra, the founder of the missions in California. The geology of San Francisco is particularly diverse, and greatly affects how much certain buildings are affected by tremors.


End file.
